I’m not great at making cakes. It is definitely one area that I need work. Traditional frosting methods seem to allude me and in this case, my electric hand mixer also quit on me in the midst of making the vanilla frosting so I had to whip it by hand, so I went with more of a “naked” cake style, it order to actually get it done in time for annual cake day. I think it’s a little crooked too. Taste = good, a beautiful vision = maybe not.
In Spain, there is a good luck tradition, that at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, you eat twelve grapes, one each as the church bells chime. This is actually no small feat, and I’ve managed to nearly choke on a grape or two. This year, I decided to riff slightly on the Doce Uvas de la Suerte tradition, by making this Twelve Grapes Cake so instead of wolfing down the grapes, you can enjoy a piece of cake instead. Happy New Year!
The other day, over on the Stonewall Kitchen website, I found Gingerbread Butter. Seemed interesting and you know me, a new ingredient to try. So I made one of my staples — shortbread / crumble bars. These are flavorful, taste “Christmasy” and have a nice “goes with a good cup of coffee feeling.
So it’s that time of year again that I remind you that there is an entire page dedicated to my “Christmas Cookie Madness” here. If you want to know “the Story” or are looking for a recipe, you’ll likely find it there. And in the meantime, this happened recently….